Student Advisory Council seeks longer Thanksgiving break

October 27, 2003

Tony Parra

The Eastern New Mexico University President’s Student Advisory Council will hold its second meeting of the semester, today at noon, to discuss topics concerning ENMU organizations and students.
One of the topics of concern is the absence of a break in between the beginning of the semester and Thanksgiving break. The Associated Students of ENMU’s student senate is proposing to enact a fall break by granting students an entire week off at Thanksgiving break. Currently they get Thursday and Friday off.
The extra time would give help students plan trips home and avoid traffic jams and packed airports. In return, the students would make up the three days by beginning the school semester a week earlier.
Of the 60 registered organizations at ENMU, representatives from up to 40 organizations participate in the monthly meetings. Steven Gamble, ENMU president, also attends the meetings.
“It (meeting) is a vehicle for discussion with the president,” Will Kayatin, director of office of student activities and organizations, said. “Leaders from the organizations can voice their concerns directly to him.”
The council started as an idea to promote organizations and inform students, Kayatin said.
“We worked on putting it together to give students an opportunity to promote their organizations,” Kayatin said. “One of the major concerns was the communication on campus. There were a lot of students that didn’t even know the organizations that existed.”
One of the other topics the organizations plan to discuss is the “enrichment hour.” There is a proposal being discussed which would have one hour available from noon to 1 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for organizations to conduct meetings. Students are proposing no classes during that one hour.
“There are many students that can’t go to meetings at night,” Justin Ward, student senate chairman, said. “This will allow them to attend the meetings during lunch. Some of them live out of town and this will make it convenient for them.”
During the meetings students discuss other events that pertain to ENMU, which Ward gave a hint about a topic that was brought to his attention by the Hispanic Affairs Department.
“They are concerned that some offices do not have a Spanish-speaking representative,” Ward said. “There was an incident in which a parent went on campus and there was no one who could translate for her. They will bring this to the president’s attention through the meeting.”